Syrian army declares city ceasefire as Russia, U.N. plan July peace talks

Reuters|Published: 06.17.17 , 23:05

The Syrian army said it would suspend combat operations in the southern city of Deraa for 48 hours from Saturday, as mediators announced two separate attempts to convene new peace talks next month.

The Syrian army general command said a ceasefire at noon (9:00 GMT) was being implemented to support "reconciliation efforts", according

to a statement carried by state news agency SANA.

The announcement came on the same day as the United Nations said it wanted to start a fresh round of peace talks between Syrian factions on July 10 in Geneva, and Moscow said it hoped to hold talks in Kazakhstan's capital Astana on July 4-5.